Program Associate, Evaluation and Adaptive Learning

Results for Development (R4D) is a leading non-profit global development partner. We collaborate with change agents around the world — government officials, civil society leaders and social innovators — to create strong systems that support healthy, educated people. We help our partners move from knowing their goal to knowing how to reach it. We combine global expertise in health, education and nutrition with analytic rigor, practical support for decision-making and implementation and access to peer problem-solving networks. Together with our partners, we build self-sustaining systems that serve everyone and deliver lasting results. Then we share what we learn so others can achieve results for development, too.

We have a unique and vibrant culture at R4D. Diversity, equity and inclusion are at the heart of our work environment and help advance our mission. Diversity—of ideas, identities, perspectives and backgrounds—is vital to who we are and what we do. We seek people who embrace these values and will help reinforce them. Our work culture is collaborative, creative and entrepreneurial. We operate based on trust and respect. Teams across the organization frequently collaborate on programmatic work and support each other in continuously building a better R4D.

Are you interested in questioning the status quo of traditional monitoring and evaluation approaches? Are you committed to working with local change agents to create improved and sustained impact? Are you energized by activities that scrutinize and validate underlying assumptions to maximize impact?

Results for Development (R4D) is seeking an entrepreneurial, strategic, and creative individual to serve as a Program Associate (PA) in its Evaluation and Adaptive Learning (EAL) Practice.

Location: This position is based in any of R4D’s offices and reports to an Associate Director on the EAL team.

Practice:

The EAL Practice works with partners to devise new strategies to address problems in health, education, and nutrition, and to generate evidence as they design, test, and iterate on potential solutions. The team conducts targeted research using methods such as randomized controlled trials, formative research, and lean testing to answer questions relevant to donor and practitioner strategies. We tailor our best methods to partner needs and constraints to fuse evidence with action. We work in partnership with internal and external stakeholders with the goal of using monitoring, evaluation, and learning approaches to inform decisions that can improve performance and accelerate impact. Explore more of our current and previous projects here.

Position Summary:

The PA will be joining a highly collaborative team that embraces research, innovation, and learning. We are seeking someone who can take ownership over critical elements of our work; who can work well independently and as part of team; and who can be flexible and adaptable to shifting project priorities. The PA will support all team members on cross-cutting team initiatives, such as business development, practice operations, knowledge management, and communications.

A successful PA will be highly motivated, a creative problem solver; have strong analytical, communication, and collaboration skills; and have a commitment to excellence and producing results.

Responsibilities

Your work will encompass a range of tasks related to project management, implementation, business development, and communications. Responsibilities may include:

Program management and cross-cutting functions (50%)

• Engage with a diverse set of internal and external stakeholders to support teams with project development, planning, and service delivery
• In coordination with other internal teams, manage procurement and payment processes (processing invoices, processing contract amendments, advising teams on R4D policy and requirements, troubleshooting as-needed etc.)
• Schedule meetings and take meeting notes
• Support program teams to ensure program’s compliance with R4D and donor policies and regulations, such as ensuring that key deliverables and files are saved in the appropriate place
• Work with senior team members on business development (conducting desk research, drafting portions of proposals, identifying business development opportunities)
• Actively engaged in cross-cutting functions within the team as-required, such as developing first drafts of communications products (blog posts, one-pagers, etc.)
• Participate fully as a member of R4D by contributing, assisting and participating in projects, activities, and initiatives as requested by R4D management
• Developing and maintaining team trackers to support information sharing across EAL

Technical support (50%)

• Support team(s) as they design and implement monitoring, evaluation, and learning experiments using both qualitative and quantitative methods
• Conduct background research including through desk research and key informant interviews and contribute to the delivery of research summaries
• Support the delivery of high quality presentations internally and externally to implementing teams, partners, and funders by preparing first drafts of slides and eventually serving as a co-presenter
• Write first drafts of project deliverables that effectively communicate results and program/policy recommendations for a variety of stakeholders and external audiences

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree +1 yr exp
• Enthusiastic about joining a diverse and inclusive work environment
• Willingness to ‘pitch-in’ all aspects of program management and development, including those that may be considered highly administrative
• Willingness to work across R4D’s target sectors and geographies
• Excellent verbal communication skills, including an interest to hone presentation skills to present complicated and detailed data to internal and external stakeholders
• Strong written communication skills for outreach materials (blog posts, one-pagers), informal communications (emails), and formal products (reports, papers)
• High level of organization, attention to detail, professionalism, and reliability
• Ability to prioritize and manage work in a fast-paced environment across multiple projects and work streams with competing time/resource demands with a track record of proactive communication
• Ability to work both independently and as part of a team
• Fluency in French strongly preferred, but not required
• Strong understanding of both qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis methodologies, with some practical academic or professional experience applying these methodologies
• Willingness to travel internally up to 20%